


Recovery

by 191131415926



Category: Gacha World (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Too many Lyte, We can make a goddamn galgame out of Xavier's GW story, Wheelchair race, X suffering as ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28717125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/191131415926/pseuds/191131415926
Summary: oneshot request from IG
Relationships: DJ Vinyl/DJ X
Kudos: 2





	Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Alert:
> 
> Non-canon settings about Vinyl's mixgear
> 
> Confusion for lacking context.
> 
> Too goddamn long to my liking.
> 
> Not recovered at all.

The first thing he knew is the beeping of a machine, piercing through his hazy mind like a needle. He frowned, trying to drift asleep again, but his limbs is too cold and numb to be comfortable. He tried to move them, but it's of no avail.

Then there are more voices, people talking about something he can hardly make out. Someone with black hair holding him tightly, light blue eyes filled with tear. 

Is he still in the clubhouse? Why clubhouse anyway? 

His head hurts, and vision spinned.

There's a sting in his exposed arm, in mere minutes, haziness washed over him again. 

Vinyl fall asleep.

For the entire week he drifted between wakefulness and sleep. Most of the time that black haired man is staying with him, keep talking to him with a soft voice. He's almost crying, Vinyl noticed, but he didn't really had enough strength to wipe away the tears from him. Sometimes the ward is crowded with somehow familiar faces, making a fuss whenever they noticed him moving even so slightly. A blonde man pulled out his phone and begin to play some techno music loudly, only being tackled by a girl with purple ponytails in seconds. It's a mess when they visited, but he somehow enjoyed watching them as long as he's awake.

And once-only once he woke up at late night, in a dark and silent ward. 

Facing a red cyborg eye glowing menacingly towards him.

Vinyl tried hard to turn his head, before realizing there are no one besides him and the unknown invader. And his gaze made him panic, he felt his body tensed up but head spinning, the rusty taste of blood piling up at the back of his throat as he involuntarily held his breath.

All the cyborg did is patiently staring. Yet a glance is all it took to trigger the fight-or-flight response in him. Danger. Danger. The only thing clear and loud in his numb mind.

Then he moved, cautious at each step like he didn't want to wake Vinyl up. He stared in horror, but can't recognize anything in the darkness. Paralyzed, defenseless towards any attack waiting for him.

But there's only a hand, gently brushed a few loose locks out of his face, before a barely there touch lingering right above his eyes. He heard a relieved sigh coming from above.

'It's been a while, Vinyl. Now sleep, don't worry about anything.'

Vinyl guess he end up fainted from fear, it's daytime when he regained his consciousness, the black haired man is sitting at the edge of his bed, scrolling on his phone, seems completely unaware of what happened last night. His mind is somehow clearer than before, so Vinyl tried to speak.

'Lyte......?'

The name popped out of him before he could even react, and everything seems to automatically piece themselves together as the haze in his mind cleared out. It's overwhelming for a moment. But Vinyl didn't have time to deal with this as in less than a second his brother is hugging him, squeezing him so tightly that he could almost hear his bones creaking in protest.

'Welcome back bro!!!' Lyte sound teary again. But Vinyl really need him to let him go before he got a few broken ribs. He tried to raise his arm and push Lyte, but it still didn't work.

'Lyte......'

'Hm?' Lyte's all but rubbing against him now, somehow reminded Vinyl of some little animals.

'Please loosen up, can't breathe.'

'Oops.' Lyte scooted backward in a flash, and coming back with a glass of water and a straw.

'Your voice is completely hoarsed.' Lyte said before fiddling with the hospital bed a bit, tilting it up to fix Vinyl in a half-sitting position. Then stucked the glass before him. Smiling when Vinyl caught the straw and begin to drink.

'Better inform the guys from our club too!' 

Vinyl nodded, already beginning to form a to do list in his mind.

What happened is a blur to him, people filling up his ward again. Cheerfully greeting him and trying to talk, informing things he missed in the coma. Vinyl tried hard to focus, but his mind kept rewinding back to the horrible night and that glowing red eye, sounds like a nightmare, but too real to be one. 

Only thinking about this made his heart clench.

The friends left before the night falls, and at 10 P.M he insists on Lyte, which was already prepared to stay the night, to head home as well. 

'But bro--we didn't have the chance to talk for soooo long!' Lyte objected immediately.

'Your speech already lasted for the whole day, Lyte.' Vinyl pointed out. 'And even I can see the dark circles under your eyes. you really need some rest.' 

'And I won't disappear during the night, just meet me tomorrow, ok?' Vinyl tried to give his brother a reassuring smile. Which the latter reluctantly accepted. 

And here he is, alone in the dark ward again, and the fear hidden in his mind became even clearer. For one second he wished Lyte is still with him. But Vinyl knew it's still dangerous for his brother, and he had to solve this alone.

He laid on the bed, mind completely clear from the way too long slumber he's been put through, waiting for the culprit to appear.

The door creaked. And he saw the familiar red glow. The invader slipped inside without making a sound. Probably familiar with the process. Vinyl concluded, trying hard to erase the nightmarish scene of being watched in his coma by the very man in front of him from his mind.

He moved close to him.

'If you come here to unplug my ventilator, it's already too late.' Vinyl's tone is harsher than he intended, but he had to speak before panic overtook him again.

'I survived, X.' He glared right into the red glow, crushing the single-lettered name with gritting teeth before spitting it out. his heart is still pounding like crazy but he didn't care, as the former panic begin to fuel his rage.

'You actually tried to kill my brother, you son of a bitch.' Vinyl knows he's still vulnerable, but what Lyte told him before somehow made him feel safe. 'And look what you did to Vinyl city, ' He tilted his head to the window, mentioning the massive area covered in debris. 

'Is that what you meant by 'saving the human race' when you tried to ask me to join your team?'

Vinyl narrowed his eyes. 'Pathetic.'

He knows clearly about the truth, and he's expecting the other to object him. But X didn't, he silently stood through his rage, lowering his head, didn't even tried to fight back.

When Vinyl's finished, X finally spoke, voice soft and tired, nothing like his usual crazy and dramatic self.

'Glad to see you again, Vinyl.'

Like he didn't hear what Vinyl said at all. Vinyl blinked in confusion as X took the glass from the nightstand, walking off to fill it up. Vinyl turned his face the opposite way when X offered him the glass.

Ignoring his rage and trying to let him drink from the hand of his enemy like he's just some kind of venting kid, that's nothing but sheer humiliation.

'Get out.' Vinyl decided he had enough of these nonsense. 'And never barging into my ward ever again.'

X placed the glass back to its place, and walked out with another word, or even another glance, like a robot running its command.

Vinyl all but collapsed after the soft clink of the door reached him. That literal ironhead is beyond saving, he thought.

——————————————————

The doctor visited him the next morning, explaining his current condition to him. The damage on his body is mostly healed, but his limb muscles atrophied due to their lack of exercising in his coma. There may be some sequels, but it can't be percisely told without some observation. And he absently nodded. More time in the hospital, fine.

Life in hospital is honestly, boring, time is several times slower, wriggling itself past the ward window and back, when he's just laying there and can't move a finger, twice a day they attached electrodes on his limbs, or just stuck them in some strange machine. Making him involuntarily twitch. Lyte still visited him daily and staying as long as he can, it's much to his relief, if he didn't ask too much questions about work, running a club or dealing with criminals with mixgears.

Those should be his responsiblity, but when he is unconscious in hospital, Lyte end up having to take them all instead.

Vinyl sighed when Lyte is struggling on the most basic problem again. Did he really……fought against the whole dark side of Vinyl city like that? He looked up to Lyte, his own brother suddenly felt distant to him. He's still cheerful as ever, but something in his eyes is gone,what once clear and glittery like sparkling water, settling into something dark, tired and complicated.

He's not even twenty when Vinyl was put in coma and now he's 21. Already an adult.

'Don't worry, just leave it to m……' Vinyl bit the latter half of his words back, as Lyte's eyes darkened further, in worry and……disappointment?

'Whatever, just do as you planned before, but try not start too much conflict now.' Vinyl closed his eyes, 'inform me when things getting overboard.'

Lyte nodded in delight. 

From their childhood Vinyl tried to protect him from harm, but all his effort only made Lyte vulnerable, and when he's down, Lyte is nothing but a victim, taking all the malice that supposed to direct at him instead.

He didn't teach his brother to protect himself, so Lyte end up learning on his own, from each failure, each scar his enemies left on him. Vinyl didn't dare to imagine how painful it will be.

How much did he miss when he's in the coma?

'People begin to call club X more instead of us when they spotted any mixgear crimes, can you believe it, Club X?!' Lyte spreaded his arms in a rather dramatic manner, but quickly murmured the additional. 'They are far more efficient though, to be honest.'

The fury in him rose again.

Harming his brother, turning the whole damn city over and now even trying to steal their position? 

What the hell is wrong with that cyborg.

Weeks later Vinyl can move his arms and sit up on his own again, they are still sluggish but at least he regained some control of his body. Lyte still refused to give his laptop back, afraid of him getting back to work at this state. He's back to social media again, just to inform others he's still alive, maybe kill some time by reviewing the musics he missed this year.

Then he heard some familiar voices chatting on the corridor outside of his ward. Jet and Melody, seems talking to the doctor about his condition.

It took him a while to recognize that tone, despite sounds professional, didn't belong to any doctor at all.

Why the hell X is there again—Vinyl screamed in his mind in frustration. But yeah, there's nothing preventing him to be here, as it's in visiting hours and X is surely an acquaintance. He could even enter the ward if his friends let him, as Vinyl never told them about the X problem at all.

The door opened, Vinyl sat up reflexively. And sighed in relief as only two person appeared.

They are here to inform Vinyl about another DJ showdown of Lyte next month to celebrate the reopening of Vinyl Club, offering to take him to the clubhouse as his condition became better now. Vinyl widened his eyes in the sudden announcement before he realized the year he missed. Then he nodded in acknowledgement.

The two lingered for a bit, Vinyl tried to start a topic, but when he opened his mouth, there's only one question in his mind.

'I heard you talking on the corridor earlier. What is DJ X doing here?'

Jet and Melody changed a confused look.

'You……don't know?'

'He's the designer of the rehabilitation equipment used in your treatment. And he come to the hospital every week, to see how are you doing.'

Vinyl's eyes widened.

'Never guessed you were friends before!'

'Wait, friends? He told you that?'

'Not really……' Melody shrugged, 'Just because he seems really worried about you. But if he never visited you in person or talk about the treatment, maybe it's not the case then.'

'He's surely an asshole, but really smart though, developing those machines all on his own. Making someone waken from a coma functional again may took months, or some of them won't be able to walk again anymore.' Jet added. 'And it only took you a few weeks to sit up! And he built all these……in a year?'

They kept chatting for a while, but Vinyl failed to listen again, shocked at what he heard before.

X built the equipments a year ago. 

So he began the research on rehabilitation as soon as he was put in a coma? He actually tried to heal him?

Vinyl recalled the visits at late night.

He's never that confused before.

——————————————————

His recovery moved to the next stage as he learnt to walk again. His legs felt fine the whole time he's staying on the bed. But when he actually tried to get off and stand, the shaky limbs gave up immediately, making Vinyl falling to the ground. They can't rush the progress on lower limb rehabilitation, so Vinyl had to actively participate in the progress. The doctor informed him that. 

The training is much more painful than he thought, he can feel his bones crushing together with each step he took, and standing for mere minutes will make his joint burn even when the crutches endured the majority of his weight. He always end up falling to his wheelchair in exhaustion after, waiting for someone to push him back to the ward. 

Yet somehow he's delighted to finally get rid of the equipments X made.

But it didn't mean X would just leave him be, he somehow squirmed his way into Vinyl's friends, and all of them simply accepted the outsider like the attack never happened. And after another week, Vinyl is waken up by X and Lyte arguing about the exterior color of the rebuilt Vinyl Club. 

He's invading the core of your very life, and no one even noticed about that.

'Cyan.' He grabbed his crutches and struggled to the door. Repeating Lyte's choice without thinking. 'I think I can make decision for my OWN CLUB?' 

The two snapped their head to the voice, finding Vinyl leaning at the doorframe, eyes narrowed in irritation.

'Hey bro I'm sorry but just go back to bed, you'll catch a cold like this——' Lyte hurried to take care of Vinyl.

'Fine, Cyan then.' X only shrugged before walking up to help Vinyl back to his bed. 'Let me call the staff—'

Vinyl waved one of the crutchs towards X, almost falling over because of the sudden movement. Lyte held him still immediately.

'Go mind your own damn business, X.' Vinyl declared loud and clear before slamming the door close.

He hoped it's the last time X appeared in front of him ever again.

If the explosion is just an accident, then what X did after he woke up is definately intentional.

And X completely disappeared from his life. Even his friends avoided mentioning club X, Vinyl's life is kinda normal again, and he's grateful about that.

The day of Lyte's show came. Melody managed to sneak Vinyl out in a way he didn't feel like experiencing twice. And here he is, in the newly repaired Vinyl club, ready for Lyte's DJ showdown. He's kinda worried about his clumsy brother, but maybe he can help when something happened, if he stay closer to the stage……wait, he can't even walk himself. 

Vinyl sighed and leaning backwards in defeat, as the lights off and show begins.

And what Lyte provided is breathtaking. 

Every piece of music he made is excellent, and he's a master on captivating the audience now. Vinyl started at the ocean of flashy phone screens in awe. Lyte is glittering under the spotlight like he belonged there. Vinyl is concerned at the first thirty minutes of the show, but now he's only gratified and proud to see his little brother's growth.

And what's more, Lyte's still imitating Vinyl's performance at his interrupted first gig, and now his style is nothing like Vinyl. Difficult as it seems, Lyte managed to find his own path to follow.

He doesn't need Vinyl anymore, as Vinyl isn't there when he actually did.

Vinyl shook the last part out of his head.

Lyte sent him back to the hospital after the performance. 'Good job, Lyte.' Vinyl told him. And instead of the goofy 'Reaaalllyyy' and someone clinging on his arm, all he got is a smile and a nod.

Like a proper grown-up.

Neither of them talked on their way back for lacking topics. Footsteps and creaks of the wheelchair echoing in the dead of night. Vinyl suddenly felt very, very tired.

He fell asleep on the way, and when he wake up, he's in his ward again, alone.

There's a limitation for human's patience, which means they can't always spend their time on a friend/family member in hospital. And a great part of Vinyl city is still in ruins, leaving everyone piles of works.

His ward is empty and silent again. Lyte still tried to drop by everyday, but he only stayed for an hour at most. Vinyl noticed the dark circle under his eye never disappeared. After his brother left he's alone again, eat, train, staring at the debris outside then the phone until he's asleep. Even his inspiration for music slipped away in the repeating process. Vinyl sighed, lowkey hoping he can just fall back to coma so he won't have to tolerate these with a clear mind.

Then the door creaked, Vinyl looked up, found some hooded figure going inside.

'Pizza Delivery.' He held out a paper box.

'Leave me alone, X.'

'Wait wha——How did you recognize me……'

Vinyl's head begin to hurt in some reason.

'First, the doctor forbids me to eat anything like that so there's no way for anyone to order pizza for me.'

'And second.' Vinyl reached out.

'What kind of deliveryman would wear a goddamn gas mask to work?!' 

He yanked the mask off, revealing the cyborg under.

'Oops, my perfect disguise——'

Vinyl deliberately ignored him, choose to focus on the pizza instead. Still hot, nice. 

'Can't believe you actually listened to their order. Like, they basically forbid everything——'

'One more word, and I'll throw you out.' 

'You didn't even warn befor——'

Vinyl seriously considered about punching him on the face if he's not still feeling weak.

——————————————————

All of a sudden X begin to annoy him again, popping out in random time, with completely random reason. Sometimes he would talk with the doctor about Vinyl's recovery. But the two barely had any conversation, as Vinyl choose to ignore X at most time. 

'Why keep bothering me? Don't you have your own work to do?' 

'Those works can be finished with machine.' X looked away. 'I put you in that coma, Vinyl. So making sure you are fine is also my work.'

'This didn't explain why are you here now……'

'Cause you are not.'

X said this lightly like it's obvious. Then he went silent again. Vinyl froze, unsure about how to react.

He didn't want to admit, but it's better to not feeling forgotten or being alone.

When it got warmer Vinyl would leave the hospital and wander around at dusk. Sometimes X would go with him. He didn't mind Lyte pushing him around at time like that, casually chatting when his brother walking behind him, but getting the same treatment from his (supposedly) enemy is nothing but weird. Luckily, after some fidgeting, he managed to start the electric wheelchair, making it move on itself at a particularly low speed.

X yawned after the fifth time of him having to stop and wait for Vinyl to follow up. He went close to examine the wheelchair closely, before getting out his phone and tapping something on it. Vinyl didn't feel like asking.

'HOLY SHIT—'

Vinyl looked up in annoyance for the screech.

'This model of wheelchair can go all the way to 50 mph——Is it designed by a motorcycle manufacturer or……'

'Whatever you are thinking about now, stop.' Vinyl sighed.

'But just think about it, Vinyl.' X lowered his voice as if they are discussing some top secret. 'You keep this one, and I'll get one myself. Then fifty years later, when we are both old lads who could barely walk, we can start our very own electric wheelchair race!'

Vinyl only facepalmed at the ridiculousness.

'I would definately never attend races like this, and.' He stared at X and smiled. 'You had no chance against me even if I choose a wheeled office chair for the race—All I need to do is ask Lyte for help.'

'Hey that's cheating——'

'It's a wheeled chair powered by lightening mixgear, why it didn't count as an electric wheelchair?'

The pointless argument went on for a while before they realized its ridiculousness and burst out laughing together. Then the two kept on walking along the concrete bank of a river until the night closing around them. Vinyl leant back, relaxing at the chilliness of the breeze, and the heat of the coffee X grabbed from the coffee shop they passed by. It's strangely peaceful until Vinyl noticed some strange structure faraway. Huge and covered in cyan, lit up by bright neon lights.

'What the hell is……oh, wait.'

'Yeah, Vinyl Club. Didn't have a chance to see it from afar?'

Vinyl stared carefully for a while, before collapsing back to his wheelchair in defeat.

'Yeah, you are right.'

'What?'

'It did look like shit in cyan.'

The two laughed in unison again.

'Maybe try matte grey next time.'

'I'll……consider it.' Vinyl shrugged.

The time out with X is surely strange, but it's the only time in weeks for him to feel actually relaxed and happy instead of being numb.

'Oh, by the way.' X spoke at the gate of the hospital, when they are about to part ways.

'Hm?'

'Xavier.'

'What.' Vinyl is confused by the sudden word.

'My real name. Quite normal, I know.'

'What's that from?' Vinyl blinked.

'Just……feel you should know this.' X looked up briefly, before walking away without a sign like everytime he did. Leaving a confused Vinyl behind.

——————————————————

Vinyl's walking ability recovered after two months and managed to get back home. When he's still researching on the most recent composing software and DJ equipments. X showed up again with a mixgear.

'Discharge gift, congrats.'

'You……still kept it?'

'Yeah, and give it a little repair, so it's functional again.' X smiled like he's holding a bomb. 

Vinyl frowned before reaching out to the mixgear. His fingertips touching the surface of his mixgear.

And then, pain.

Despair, daze, rage, sorrow. And many more emotions he couldn't actually tell, filling his mind all of a sudden. It felt like suffocating, or getting punched right at the place of his heart. And when Vinyl came back to his senses he's already kneeling on the ground, heart pounding drastically. X is patting his back, calling him in worry.

Vinyl. Vinyl can you hear me?

He nodded in response.

X pulled him up from the ground.

'Your lost control on the mixgear, and it end up……connecting us for a second.' X seems a little awkward.

'……Is this mixgear legal?'

'Legal.' X spread his hand in sheer innocence. 'It could be a device malfunction, but the chance is……well, pretty slim.'

'I'm afraid you need to learn how to use your mixgear from scratch.' 

And here they are, sitting on the bench of a park, trying hard to read the mind of passerby.

'Can I change the tutor?' Vinyl frowned.

'All other mixgear researchers are dead, or in jail for now because of me, so no.' X shrugged.

Vinyl reached out with his hand with mixgear, and trying to focus. So he won't be overwhelmed by thoughts again.

'Why are you suddenly fine about me practicing with the mixgear?' Vinyl asked X when it's all over. 'You despised my ability before.'

'Hmm, don't know, just feel it's better that way.' Typical X.

'And how about the……you know, altering part of my power? We can't just walk on the street and begin to hypnotize random person.' 

X stopped and turned to him, revealing a strange toothy grin. 'Don't worry about that, Vinyl. You'll see this yourself soon.'

Vinyl was called to the lab after a few tests of his mixgear. And what awaits him is several men in orange jumpsuit, cuffed to the table they are sitting at.

'Don't make any irreversible damage. The warden will be pissed if you did.' X is leaning on the wall, arm crossed.

'Use prisoners for experiments?' Vinyl raised a brow, it's nothing like what X would do……well, something seems like he would do but actually won't. Yet there's something serious in his tone.

'You'll find out when practicing.' X answered before burying his head into the monitor screen.

Vinyl reached out. 

Then he saw something common in those people's mind.

Two little children, a vinyl record, experiments.

Then a corpse, and an angel.

And a redhead youth, pointing a gun towards something in a crooked, teary sneer.

When Vinyl realized, the test subjects are already in a mess, one screaming, one laughing, and one kept bumping his head on the table, blood flowing out of his forehead. He ended the mind control in a hurry. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

'Not something pleasant, right?' X appeared from behind.

'Why are you sharing……this to me?' Vinyl's still trying to catch his breath.

'Just trying to explain why they are here. Those who used human subjects end up becoming human subjects themselves. Fair enough, right?' X is casually grinning like ever.

Vinyl recalled the things he felt when they are connected. He tried to speak, but unsure about what to say.

He finished his mixgear recovery session sooner than planned. Raising his mixgear towards X for several times when his back is turned, before realizing what he's doing and give up.

It won't properly work towards him anyway.

But for a moment, Vinyl really want to know X more.

——————————————————

Their lives officially part ways now, Vinyl went back to his DJ work and X returning to—god knows where. Vinyl thought about taking back the heavy responsiblities Lyte held, but never took any action.

Lyte's under his shadow for too long, time to let him go.

It should be easy for him to retire and write musics. Solve some problems when Lyte can't handle. He can finally get a good night's sleep now, suits his lazy self……

Yet he knows clearly that they are all excuses, excuses he told himself to avoid facing the truth.

The fact is, everything changed drastically when he's off, and he probably won't ever keep up with others.

He thought he's the chosen one, but the world simply goes on without him, even his own brother could live better without him.

And all of them thought the nightmare ends when Vinyl finally wake up, then everything will be fine.

And the fact is, it's the very beginning of his personal hell.

At first he tried to write music like before, and it actually went pretty well until he noticed his activate fans reducing drastically. He tried to start more interactions, or trying different styles. Yet nothing worked. Once he tried to perform on stage, and end up hearing several audiences asking others about who he is.

Then he realized he's slowly, but inevitably, being forgotten.

No one needs him anymore.

Even Lyte stopped bothering him with those questions.

He thought he can return like nothing happened after all these drama, but the answer is no.

Nights after nights he had the same dream, walking down a gallery full of black mirrors, he saw his own reflections in each of them, covered in blood, cloth tattered, revealing the mutilated back of his, just as the day everything changed. Each steps hurts like hell but he stumbled though the gallery until there's no way for him anymore.

He looked up, and saw a clean, silver mirror. His reflection, clean, unharmed, smiled at him in pity. 

Vinyl smiled back and reached behind. Feeling his own back, fingers digging into the soft, slippery flesh of his wound, and finally pull out a pure white wing from the scars. It gives out a holy silver glow, sticky black liquids dripping from the tip of every feather.

Then he woke up in sweat, heart pounding like crazy.

Maybe it's a sequel from the coma. Or just his mixgear malfunctioning again. Vinyl called the doctor for examine.

Everything in his head is normal.

Vinyl went back to the club with the result in hand, thinking about calling X the next. 

Then he heard people talking in the conference room. It's the mixgear organization, discussing about battle plans.

How long had it be since the last time he attended meetings like this? Vinyl thought bitterly.

His mixgear glowed.

Lyte, who was resting his chin on the table, suddenly sat up straight and begin speaking, expressing his—Vinyl's opinions to other members in an incontestable manner. Making the others exchanged looks in confusion to Lyte's sudden change in attitude.

Vinyl suddenly realized what he's doing. Have to walk away, he thought, end the accidental control and hope Lyte won't find out.

'Don't worry, I'm fine.' Lyte—Vinyl—said. Returning to his speech again.

Vinyl participated the whole meeting with Lyte's body. And he didn't release him even after the night falls. DJ Lyte went on the stage, then begin to perform—Every song that night is from the forgotten Vinyl. 

The audience didn't even realized anything went wrong.

Lyte left the stage, going straight back home and collapsed on the bed, simply falling asleep.

That's when Vinyl's head finally cleared up. His pupil shrinked in horror, realizing what the hell he did.

He controlled his own brother, to participate something which was rightfully his……No, that's not right. 

What's wrong with his mind? Vinyl felt his stomach twitching. 

'The ultimate record exists to manipulate human mind, and your music happened to have the same ability?'

NO.

'Is it really a coincidence, or you are the same as it, down to your very core?'

NO.

'Did them really like your music, or it's just your power?'

STOP!

Vinyl screamed, but all the harsh questions from 𝒉𝒊𝒎 kept flooding back, make him suffocate in pain.

What he thought as harrasment before, seems like truth now.

Vinyl stumbled out of his home, and run away, escaping into the closing darkness. Didn't dare to even glance at his brother again.

He didn't know where he is, or how long he has been running. But someone gripped his arm tightly. Vinyl let them drag him along, knowing too well about their identity.

He would only pop up when I'm not fine, right?

The lab, examinations, someone frantically calling his name.

Nice, his mind is not clear anymore.

He can barely make out a messy living room in his blurry sight. Laying on a sofa while X standing in front of him. Can't really tell his expression as most of his face is covered.

'There are something in your head.'

Isn't that obvious? He didn't feel like speak it loud.

'It's nothing corporal though, it's something, close to……corruption.' He somehow sounds pained. But why?

Something's stirring up his brain.

'I don't know how to help you but I'll try. All worlds are connected after the summoner came. We can find help from Neon City, Or the Xkour world. We can even find the creator herself—' X kneeled down and gripped his hand. 'Just don't give up. It will be alright.'

Vinyl only felt himself smiling.

X destroyed his life and tried to mend him up.

Neither of them worked as he planned.

But still he's the only one who made Vinyl feel like he's making some progresses after waking up.

The only one who found his problem.

The only one he's fine about harming.

In one swift motion Vinyl sat up, and closed his hands around X's throat. Forcing him to stare at his eyes, which became two lifeless voids.

'Xavier.'

He called out calmly. Using his actual name for the first time.

'It's already too late.' He smiled bitterly, something streamed down his cheeks but he knew it wasn't tear. As the darkness is also dripping from the tip of his hair.

'I don't know what I will become, but, would you keep me company?'

His mixgear is already lost, and mind control won't work well for cyborgs.

It's not manipulation, just a plea from the newly made monster.

And Xavier hugged him tightly.

'Yes, I will. No matter what you are, I will stay with you.'

'And I promise to bring you back, no matter what it takes.'

That's everything he needs to know.

Vinyl pulled Xavier into a kiss, as the darkness engulfing them both.

'If so, you are forgiven.' The silver figure solemnly declared.


End file.
